Destiny Is Written
by ComicalEpiphanies
Summary: Every choice you make changes the future, or does it? AU. What if Maggie hadn't left?
1. A Family

**Disclaimer: I don't own this, as I'm sure you all know. If I did, what would I be doing writing fanfics?**

**A/N: I know that I said my next posting would be BLOOD AND BLACKMAIL, but unfortunately, ModernScribe doesn't listen to me much. She started to edit this one and forgot about B&B. Hopefully she'll do that soon... Anyway, this is a what-if fic. That's all I'm going to say. Well that and thanks ModernScribe, even if you do drive me nuts.**

**A/N2: So guess what? Girlwithoutfear made a good argument. The prologue to this story is now gone. This is a complete AU. **

Chapter 1: A Family

"What is his name?" The nurse asked, filling out the birth certificate.

"It's Matthew Michael Murdock. That's with a K at the end." Jack Murdock, the baby's father, leaned over the nurse, still giddy from the birth.

Maggie, Jack's wife and Matt's mother, sat up from her position on the hard hospital bed, "Jack, will you sit down and let the woman work?" She sounded rough, but Jack knew she was just as happy as he was.

When the nurse left, she asked, "What happened to the junior idea?" The young couple had decided beforehand that their first-born would be named Jonathon, after his father.

Jack kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I realized that the only way I was going to convince you to have another child was by saving the name."

Maggie swatted him playfully, a smile curling her lips despite her hardest efforts to keep it at bay. "You really are manipulative, you know that?"

"And that's why you love me."

"You better believe it."

* * *

Matt was two weeks old when Jack told Maggie that he was going to retire from boxing.

"But why?" Maggie couldn't understand why her husband would quit boxing, especially after his magnificent victory last week.

Jack lay down on the bed, snuggling closer to his wife. "I was thinking about it while the doc pulled out the stitches," he gestured to the healing cut above his eyebrow. "I decided that I want my boy to see me as a man, not a scar. And, what's more, he's going to need to go to college, and I can't make enough money boxing."

Jack sounded so serious. It almost scared Maggie. Jack was hardly ever serious. It was plain that nothing she said would make a difference. "If that's what my love wants to do, well then by God, he should."

Jack's solemn expression vanished, replaced with a laughing smile. He loved when Maggie imitated her father.

"But what will you do instead?" Maggie asked after the joke laughed itself out.

Jack blushed. "I always thought I would own a gym one day."

"Is that what you want to do now?"

He thought for a moment, looking at his son sleeping in the crib next to their bed. "Yeah, it is."

"Just as long as you don't expect me to workout with you," Maggie replied, the smile growing wider.

"Was that a possibility?" Jack couldn't remember his wife ever lifting a weight in her life.

Maggie kissed Jack on the cheek, not bothering to answer the question. "I guess that settles it then. You're getting your own gym."

* * *

Almost a year later, Jack opened the door to his new gym, leading his wife and son in hesitantly. "Well?"

Maggie passed him Matt, who was teething at the moment and couldn't have cared less where he was. She looked around the room, noting the old machinery and boxing ring that looked like it'd been used a dozen times too many. She turned back to her husband, "I think it needs a lot of work, but there's something."

"Yeah, that's kinda what I thought," he replied, trying to prevent Matt's fingers from pulling out his hair. After a moment, he added, "I have another surprise for you."

He led his wife outside, encouraging her to walk faster, his excitement becoming unbearable now that he'd told her he had a surprise. Jack stopped at a building a couple of blocks from the gym.

"Jack," Maggie sounded puzzled, "Did you do what I think you did?"

He nodded fervently, "And wait until you see!"

Jack practically carried his wife up to their new apartment. "Our old one was too far from the gym," he said, feeling the need to explain.

But Maggie hadn't heard him. She was walking through the small, Hell's Kitchen apartment with a critical eye. There were two bedrooms, a tiny bathroom, and a kitchen that opened into a living room. It was larger than their current apartment on the edge of the Kitchen.

"How did you pay for this?" she asked, her eyebrows arched slightly.

"I, um, saved a little more money than I actually needed for the gym," Jack blushed.

"And that is why I love you." Maggie kissed him long and hard on the lips. "I think now's a good time to tell you my surprise. Jack, I'm pregnant."

"Excuse me?" Jack wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly. "Did you just say I'm going to be a father of two?"

Maggie nodded and was immediately swooped up into the air. "The name is going to be Jonathon, though."

"Whatever you wish, my love." Jack kissed her again, happiness brimming over the sides of his brain.

* * *

"Mattie, meet your little brother." Jack held the newborn in front of his first son, rocking him slightly. "His name is Jonathan."

Matt had just barely mastered the art of walking, and was still struggling with speaking, so he didn't say anything as he starred at his little brother. He reached out to touch the little bundle.

"Careful now," Jack said, watching as his first explored his second. "Well, Mattie, is he a keeper?" he asked when Matt had finished.

"Ha?" Matt replied, running into the kitchen to find his mother.

"I guess that's a yes," Jack whispered. "Hear that, Natty? Your brother approves."


	2. An Education

**Consider the story disclaimed.**

* * *

Chapter 2: An Education

Matt's first day of school was hectic. He was six and not at all willing to leave his father's gym or his toys for longer than a couple of hours.

"No." Matt said, every time Jack tried to get him to move. "I don't want to go to school."

Jack didn't give up. It had been clear to him and Maggie that their eldest was smart. Though it had taken him awhile to learn to speak, Matt was now making complicated sentences as proved by the one-word "no".

He'd also taught himself to read, a fact Maggie had discovered when she found the boy sleeping on the floor, his head stuck in a picture book. When he'd woken up, she asked him whether he wanted her to read it to him and he told her that he'd already read it himself. At first she hadn't believed him, and then he read it out loud.

Jack and Maggie had decided to enroll Matt directly into first grade after that. So the fact that Matt was refusing to go made Jack angry. Finally he bent down to look Matt straight in the face. "Look here, boy," he said, "You are going to go to first grade, then to second, then to third, and you will not stop going to school until you graduate from medical or law school, do you hear me?"

Matt's eyes were opened wide. He nodded, too intimidated by his father's large frame and bright green eyes to say anything.

"Good. Now let's go."

* * *

Matt excelled in school. While not the most popular kid, due to his subtle good looks and the fact that he was one of the best runners in his elementary school, he was hardly the least. His grades were above normal, but not so high that he looked like a nerd. He loved English, P.E., and social studies, but enjoyed every class.

In junior high, Matt joined the track team and, of course, immediately took to it. He had his father's athletic talent with his mother's thin bones, making him quick and strong.

Nate, on the other hand, was less successful. He got average grades in school and, unlike his brother, was nowhere near the top of the popularity pyramid. He had few of Matt's good looks and his teachers found him to be sullen and withdrawing, nothing like his active, smart older brother. The fact that he wasn't interested in sports only widened the gap between his brother and himself.

The two brothers grew apart. By the time Matt was in ninth grade and Nate was in seventh, the two boys barely spoke. Had it not been for the fact that they shared a room, they probably wouldn't see each other outside of dinner and walking home from school.

Meanwhile, Maggie had gone to work at the local high school. She had taken the assistant job after Nate started school. The pay was reasonable, considering she was the principle's secretary and working in the Hell's Kitchen public school system, and she enjoyed it. She'd always wanted to be a teacher but had never finished college, so she took the next best thing.

* * *

Matt dumped his bulging book bag in his father's tiny office. "Hey Dad."

"What are you doing here? It's your mother's night to make dinner."

After Maggie returned to the workforce, the family had split up the dinners. The only problem was, Maggie had a tendency to get distracted with work and end up messing up recipes. This hadn't happened before returning to work because she only had to worry about the housework, but now she had a hundred things rolling around in her head. The men in the house had to band together to stop from dieing on Maggie's cooking days. Matt watched her on Thursdays and Saturday, Nate on Tuesdays.

"Today's Tuesday. I came over to ask whether I could work in the library for a while. I've got a essay I need to research."

"What'd your mother say?" Jack asked, walking out of his office to help a man put on his gloves.

Matt followed him outside. "She said whatever you say."

"Yeah sure, leave. You want me to pick you up?"

"Dad! I'm fifteen and a fast runner. I'll be fine." Matt headed back to get his books. "Tell Mom I'll be back in time for supper."

Jack nodded, going back to the man.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, apparently my _sister_ doesn't want to finish editing anytime soon, so if you want the next chapter, you're going to have to review. On another note, I didn't want to push you, but my last two stories have a lot of hits and yet only two reviews, one of which is my sister. Tell me that's not pathetic. Tell me what you think: good or bad?**


	3. Blind Irony

**A/N: I'm free! No more groundings for me! In celebration, I thought I should post. And as I _really_ don't want to clean my room, I think it is only fair. I'm I right? Anyway, here's chapter three. Thanks ModernScribe for indulging in my celebration. **

**Disclaimer: Need I bother? **

Chapter 3: Blind Irony

Matt rubbed his eyes. He'd been researching Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for nearly two hours straight and he still hadn't found a good springboard. He sighed, looking at his watch. He decided that he could finish the essay some other day this week and began packing up.

Matt smiled at the librarian who was looking bored at her desk. Matt had to wonder why she wasn't reading a book; it seemed like the logical thing to do in a library.

He took a deep breath of New York air as he walked home, his books slapping against his back. He was just about to fix the straps when he heard a truck squealing up the road. His head whipped up and his eyes landed on a blind man inching across the crosswalk.

Matt didn't remember dropping his backpack in the gutter or deciding to run. What he did remember was the feel of the old man's coat as he pushed him away and the burning smell of the truck as it caught fire. But the thing Matt remembered most clearly—the memory carved into his brain—was the sight of a hundred spinning colors and the feel of a thousand burning spiders with knives on their feet spread down his spine as the truck's cargo spilled into his open eyes. Maybe he screamed, or maybe he didn't have time. The pain was too much. His brain shut off, knocking him into unconsciousness.

* * *

Jack heard the ambulance's siren, but he didn't really think much of it. This was, after all, Hell's Kitchen. He went back to work, forgetting about them almost instantly.

Until his youngest son came running in to the gym, out of breath and wide-eyed in fear.

"What is it Nate?" Jack asked, his panic on the rise. "What happened? Maggie?"

Nate shook his head, trying to get enough air into his lungs. He didn't know he could run so fast. "Mom…got a…call. Matt…"

"And?" Jack shouted, running into his office to reach the phone.

"Told me…get you." Nate collapsed, completely out of air.

"Come on!" Jack pulled his son's wrist, too afraid now to be gentle and completely forgetting about using the telephone.

"Take my car, Jack!" A man on one of the weight machines shouted across the room. "Here, catch." He threw the keys into Jack's hand.

"Thanks." Jack pulled his son into the car. "Where's your mother?"

Nate gasped for a little more oxygen and was only just able to say, "At home. Told me to bring you."

Jack pulled in front of their apartment building so quickly that the car drove onto the sidewalk. "Stay here!" He ordered.

He took the stairs two at a time, almost knocking the door off its hinges in an attempt to open it. He ran into the kitchen and stopped suddenly, his eyes staring at his wife who was pacing back and forth, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What happened? Where is Matt?"

Maggie rushed to him, soaking his shirt with her tears. "Empire State Hospital. He's been hurt."

Jack felt the dread he'd thought was bad before intensify in his stomach. He half led, half dragged his wife to the car, not daring to think.

The journey to the hospital was like a dream. Everything was moving slower than normal and it seemed as if someone had put the world on mute. Nate didn't say a word. He just looked stoically off into the distance.

When they finally arrived in the emergency room, a nurse told them to wait. Jack blew up in her face.

"Where is my son? I need to see my son!"

It was Maggie who calmed him down, pulling him to one of the chairs, but secretly she didn't care that he was making a scene.

A doctor arrived to explain Matt's condition, but Nate couldn't hear him. Everything was in slow motion. He only heard one word: "Blind."


	4. Pain

**A/N: I am in such a good mood, I'm posting chapter four as well.**

Chapter 4: Pain

Nate was the one manning his bed when Matt woke up three days later.

He woke up mid scream, and Nate jumped up and ran to the door to find his parents. There wasn't any sign of them anywhere. They had barely left Matt's bedside for three whole days, but now, when he was finally awake, they were nowhere to be found. Nate could appreciate the irony.

Nate returned to his older brother's side. "Matt, talk to me," he whispered.

"Stop! Stop shouting!" Matt sounded delirious.

"I'm not." Nate replied as a doctor came running in.

"It's so loud! Quiet…" Matt's voice trailed off as the doctor gave him a large dose of morphine.

Nate just stood there, frozen in place. The doctor walked up to him. "Your brother was just in shock. He's going to be in a lot of pain for a while. Do you understand?"

Nate still couldn't move.

"Are you okay?" The doctor looked into Nate's eyes and felt his pulse. Nate collapsed, knees buckling. The doctor only just caught him.

"Nurse! A little help in here!" A nurse came running in, Jack and Maggie close behind.

"What happened?" Maggie shouted, staring at her eldest son's rumpled blankets and her youngest unconscious in the doctor's arms.

"Your son woke up screaming and then Jonathon here fainted from shock and fright."

Jack ran to the doctor and picked up the thirteen year-old in his arms. "Is he okay?"

The doctor nodded. "He should be. It must be difficult enough to see your older brother incapacitated like this, let alone delirious. I'll come in later to make sure he's okay, but for now, just lay him on the empty bed."

Jack nodded, caring Nate to the unoccupied bed next to Matt.

The parents stared at their boys, one out cold with fear and shock and the other tossing and turning in pain and wrapped in bandages from the cheekbones up. It was a painful sight.

* * *

Maggie and Jack were alone when Matt woke up a day later. They had left Nate at home to rest. Matt didn't scream this time as the pain had lessened slightly. But everything was so loud! Matt's ears were ringing and his nose wrinkled at all the strange smells.

"Where…?" Matt tried to sit up, but he felt a strong hand force him back down.

"You're in the hospital Mattie. Do you know what happened?" Jack's voice boomed from somewhere above him in the darkness.

"Why can't I see? What's…?" His voice trailed off as he felt the thick bandages covering his eyes. Then it came flooding back. The man…the truck…the searing pain.

"The man! How is he? Is he alright?" Matt heard a machine beep faster and he knew he should relax, but he couldn't.

"He's fine Mattie, but…" Jack's voice trailed off like Matt's had a minute before.

"But you were hurt, Mattie," Maggie finished softly.

"Yeah, that I can see." Matt's voice went from worried to sarcastic.

Jack and Maggie both flinched. "Look Mattie, we have to tell you something." Jack tried not to let his voice waver.

"Let me guess: I'm blind," Matt said coldly.

"How could you know?"

Matt scoffed. "Even under three layers of gauze, it's not this dark. So unless the hospital forgot to pay the electrical bills, my eyes aren't working."

Jack wanted to scold him for being so rough, but then he decided that Matt did have the right, this time at least. He was about to change the subject when the doctor walked in.

"Matt, my name is Dr. Coolson. I was the resident on call when they brought you in." He looked at Matt's chart. "I thought it would be best for you to wake up, so I lowered your medication. Are you still in pain?"

"Hell yeah! All the noise is killing me!" Another shot of pain from the volume of his own voice assaulting him.

"Okay, I'll have one of the nurses up your dose." The doctor gestured silent to Jack and Maggie, signaling them to meet him outside.

Maggie and Jack glanced at each other before following the doctor outside.

"We just got the test results back from the lab," Dr. Coolson began.

"And?"

"Well, I'm afraid we aren't exactly sure what splashed into Matthew's eyes. Apparently it was waste from some sort of unique isotope."

"Why does that not sound very good?" Maggie asked.

Dr. Coolson took a deep breath. "Because we're not sure of the damage."

"My son is blind, probably for the rest of his life and you are wondering if that's it?" Jack's voice raised an octave.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Murdock. We're doing all we can." He stuck out his hand, which Jack grudgingly shook. "I'll be back in a while." He nodded politely and left.

* * *

**A/N: I realized I should probably mention something. Girlwithoutfear, I know what you are probably thinking, and let me say that if you have any edits for this or anything else, don't hesitate to tell. That goes for all. I am not above begging for reviews, by the way (that was a hint...). **


	5. Eyes

**A/N: Ta-Da, the next chapter. Sorry for delay. Thanks ModernScribe and the wonderful people who reviewed! **

Chapter 5: Eyes

"Are you okay?"

Matt's strange dream was interrupted by Nate's booming voice. "Huh? Nate?"

"Who'd you think?" Nate's bedside manner had diminished greatly in the two weeks Matt had been in the hospital.

"What are you doing here?" Matt felt the new braille watch his rehab instructor had given him. "Is it really five o'clock?"

"Yup." Nate bit into an apple he'd snuck in. "You are a lazy guy, you know that?"

Matt groaned. "Stop crewing so loudly!"

"Why?"

Matt threw a pillow in the direction of the sound. He smiled as he heard it make contact.

"Hey, that's not fair! How did you even know where I was?" Nate cried.

"I told you to stop chewing so loudly." Matt refused to believe that he'd known where Nate was the moment he'd walked in. It just wasn't possible.

Nate threw his apple into the trash. It wasn't worth a pillow shot. "What's with all the cards?"

"What? Oh, the ones on the nightstand?"

"Duh."

"The nurse who put them there said they were from my fans, but I don't know. Haven't had time to read them."

Nate snorted. As if Matt could have. "Can I?"

"Be my guest. Read the good ones out loud."

"Yes, Sir!" Nate saluted Matt, even though he knew it was pointless. At that moment, Dr. Coolson came in.

"A little more snap next time, Nate," he said, walking in just in time to see the salute. "Like this." He demonstrated and Nate tried again. The doctor nodded his approval.

Matt cleared his throat to remind the good doctor why he was there.

"Oh sorry, Matt." He walked to Matt's bed. "I came to say that I think it's time for me to take off the last bandage."

Dr. Coolson had slowly decreased the layers of thick gauze wrapped around Matt's eyes since he'd first woken up, but he'd always left some to keep out infections.

Matt nodded. "Doesn't make a difference to me." Matt had slowly gotten used to the idea of being blind, even though the thought of being "handicapped" depressed him slightly.

"Good man. Do you want your brother to leave?"

"Nah, he's going to have to get used to my new look anyway, why not start now? No pun intended," he smiled ruefully.

Nate hadn't seen Matt's eyes since the day of the accident, and the thought of them being anything but the deep blue he remembered scared him a little.

"Sure?" Matt nodded. "Okay, your choice. Ready Nate?"

"What's the big deal?" Nate tried to sound nonchalant, and Matt was grateful for it.

"I'm about to cut the gauze," Dr. Coolson narrated so that Matt wouldn't jump when he felt the cold scissors. A second later he said, "And they're off!"

Matt's heart sank. Even though he knew he was blind, something inside of him hoped that when the last bandage fell away he would see _something._ But it was simply more blackness.

"I'm gong to shine this light and you're going to tell me if you see anything." The doctor pulled out a small flashlight. "Anything?"

"Was there a chance?" Matt responded flatly.

"There's always a chance." Coolson replied. "But I'm afraid no luck. I'm sorry Matt, all signs point permanent."

Matt shrugged. "Thought as much." He tried not to sound too disappointed.

There was an awkward pause during which Matt listened to what he'd come to realize was the doctor's heartbeat as he wrote on Matt's chart.

Finally, Coolson said, "Alright Matt. I'll leave you alone." He walked out.

As soon as Matt heard his footsteps outside, he turned to his little brother. "Okay Nate, tell me the truth. How bad?" He'd heard Nate's soft intake of breath when the bandages had first come off.

Nate opened his mouth, not sure of how to phrase it. "You have some angry scars around your eyes, but I heard Coolson say the plastic surgeons did a good job, so I guess they'll fade."

"Fine, but what about my eyes?" Matt had never been vane, but of all his handsome features, he'd always loved the color of his sea-blue eyes. They used to look like his mother's.

Nate hesitated. "They're, um, scarred too." He could tell Matt needed more so he continued. "They're lighter and frosted."

Matt sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Thanks. No one would give me a straight answer."

Silence fell again.

"So I guess the card idea is out the window?" Nate asked hesitantly.

Matt shrugged. "Go ahead, I can't stop you." He sounded depressed all of the sudden, and the sound made Nate shudder.

They had never been very close, but since the accident a bond had formed. Maybe it was just temporary, but Nate hoped it wasn't. He liked talking with his brother, something he hadn't known before. It had taken a near-death experience for Nate to realize just how much he loved his older brother.

"Matt, I want you to know something." Matt didn't move. "I still think you are the greatest older brother a guy like me could ever get. I love you. You're the bravest person I know."

Matt remained on his side, facing the wall opposite his brother. Nate realized that now was a good time to leave Matt alone, so he stood up and walked out the door, closing it softly behind him.

* * *

"We left everything as it was, just cleaned up a bit." Jack told Matt as he led his son up the stairs to their apartment. Maggie had wanted to come with her husband to pick him up at the hospital, but Matt had said he didn't want a crowd, so Nate was at school and Maggie had gone to work.

"The door's right here." Jack stopped in front of their apartment.

"I know Dad. I grew up in this place, remember?" Matt tried not to be too irritated. He knew his father was just trying to be helpful, but he found that needing help still rankled.

"Right." Jack led Matt in to the small apartment. "Well, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

"Yeah." Matt walked down the hallway using his new white cane. It had been almost three weeks since he'd been home, and everything seemed different. The layout was the same, but for some reason, the rooms smelled different and there were weird sounds everywhere. He'd never noticed how thin the walls were either. It was strange, like being in someone else's house.

Matt located his bed and sat down. He felt like he could almost see his room, but he knew that was just a memory. He lay back and closed his eyes, wishing that it made a difference if his eyes were open or shut. He rolled over but sprang up when he felt something underneath him.

Matt felt around for whatever he'd nearly crushed. His fingers closed around a small, wrapped box. He slowly unwrapped it, feeling the anticipation growing.

He opened the box and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, or he assumed they were, as glasses weren't going to do him any good.

Then he realized who must have given them to him. Only Nate knew that the main thing Matt was worried about when he returned to school were his eyes. He smiled, a fresh wave of love crashing around him.

He put on the glasses, suddenly feeling a lot better. He quickly located his cane and started looking for his father. He found him in the living room.

"What do you think, Dad?"

Jack looked up. "Nice. Where'd you get them?"

"I found them on my bed. I think Nate must have bought them."

"He picked a good pair. They are very slimming. You look really cool. If I didn't know better, I'd have mistaken you for a pop star."

Matt smiled. He knew his father was exaggerating, but it felt good nonetheless. He felt oddly free behind the lenses.

Nate came home a few hours later to find Matt listening to a book his mobility instructor had lent him and wearing the sunglasses he'd left for him.

"Hi Natty!" Matt pulled the earphones off his ears before Nate had even said hello.

"You know that's kind of scary."

"Get used to it, little brother." Matt stood up, taking a few steps closer to his brother. "Thanks."

"What for?"

"You know, the glasses. I didn't realize how much I wanted them until I found them on the bed."

Nate was glad his older brother couldn't see him blush. "Yeah, well I thought you might. Kevin and I pooled our savings."

Matt hugged his brother tightly. "These are the times when I'm glad I agreed to let Mom and Dad keep you."

Nate laughed, glad for the joke. He thought his eyes were tearing. Matt had never really shown this much emotion before, and he couldn't describe how good it felt.


	6. Discovery

Chapter 6: Discovery

The next four months passed quickly. Matt spent most of his time in rehab, relearning everything from crossing the street to reading a book. It was hard work and Matt found himself angry and embarrassed more often than he would have liked.

But the rehab taught Matt something else. It soon dawned on Matt that he wasn't like most blind people. It slowly became apparent to the teenager that the isotope that had splashed into his eyes had done something other than just take away his sight.

Gradually, Matt learned to hone his senses, and by the time school began again, Matt felt confident that he wouldn't fall down the stairs or go deaf from the babble of high school.

Matt's first day of sophomore year dawned bright and beautiful, but Matt didn't want to get up. He didn't want to go to school and be "the blind kid."

Nate threw a pillow at his older brother, but Matt just groaned and turned over.

"Come on! You are going to be late!"

"Don't shout. I don't want to go." Matt stuffed his head under the pillow Nate had thrown at him.

Nate sighed. He'd expected something like this. "Come on, don't make me get Dad."

"You wouldn't!" Matt threw the pillow off his head and turned to where his brother's voice was coming from. Matt still remembered the lecture Jack had given him on the first day of elementary school.

"Really want to risk it?" Nate asked, unfazed by Matt's empty glare.

Matt didn't. He growled loudly as he climbed out of bed, feeling for his glasses on the nightstand. He walked toward his dresser, but his foot snagged on Nate's backpack, his radar not being sensitive enough to sense it. He lurched forward, hitting his knee on the dresser.

"Holy crap! God damn it, Nate! How many times have I warned you to pick up your junk?" He kicked the almost empty bag across the tiny room. He'd just known today was a good day to stay in bed.

"Sorry! I forgot to pick it up last night." Nate ran to pick up the bag that Matt had kicked into a corner.

"Clearly." Matt took a deep breath. "Look, just try to remember next time." He stood up again using his cane, more to make his brother feel worse about tripping him than the fear of falling over things. In general, his family had done a good job adjusting to his needs.

On his way to the bathroom, Matt ran into his mother.

"What was all the shouting about?"

"Nothing. Nate just left his backpack in front of my bed."

"Is that why you've got your cane? Really Matt, don't you think that's a little childish?" Maggie always did have a talent for guessing true motivations.

"He deserves it. It's the third time in two weeks. I don't think my shins can take much more of this."

"Come on Matt, he's only thirteen, give him a break. You weren't all that neat when you were that old, were you?"

"No, but I wasn't blind then either." Matt pushed passed his mother without waiting for a response.

* * *

Matt wished he'd stayed in bed even more by the end of school that day. It had begun badly with him being the center of attention and gotten steadily worse. People either avoided him or tried to pretend like they didn't notice that he was blind.

Matt's friends from his track team were okay, but now that he could no longer compete with them, they had nothing in common and their conversations ran dry.

If he'd thought he'd prepared himself for the noise of the hallways, he was totally wrong. Matt's head was splitting by the time the final bell rang.

"Hey Matt, you want me to walk you home?" It was Jerry, one of Matt's best friends in junior high and the second best runner on the track team.

Matt thought for a moment. He really didn't want company, but he wasn't sure how to tell him no without being snobbish. "Not today, thanks. My instructors helped me memorize the way and I want to see if I can do it alone this time."

Jerry shrugged, but caught himself and said, "Okay, that seems reasonable. I guess I'll s--meet you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See yah." Matt started walking home. He kept taking deep breaths of air as he walked farther away from the nosiest building he thought he'd ever been in.

Matt was almost home when he heard some people in an alley halfway down the block. He immediately recognized Nate's voice among the group.

He walked faster, listening, teeth clenching, as one of the boys pushed Nate down. Matt couldn't understand why they would be messing with Nate of all people. He wasn't a nerd and he wasn't a geek. And then he heard what one of the boys was saying.

"What's wrong, Nate? I guess we were right when we said you were a cripple, just like your stupid brother."

The other two boys slapped the first on the back as if he'd said the smartest thing in the world.

"No one calls my big brother that!" It was Nate's voice.

"Nate. Go home." Matt had reached the entrance to the alley.

Nate turned around, his mouth falling open. He starred, dumbstruck at his brother standing there, his cane perpendicular to the ground, face stoic and unreadable. "I said go home, Jonathan."

Nate flinched. Matt never called him Jonathan. He didn't recognize this boy. He decided to follow Matt's instructions. He picked up his bag, preparing to leave as fast as he could.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Don't make me tell you again." Matt's voice was hard, almost scary. He didn't have to. Nate left the alley, but he doubled back to watch his brother, hiding behind an old trashcan.

"Now boys, what was that you were saying about me and my brother?" Matt walked forward, collapsing his cane as he did so.

The apparently thicker boy answered, clearly thinking he was the leader. "We called you stupid."

"Is that so?" Matt put his cane down, trusting his radar, and laid his sunglasses next to it to keep them safe. "Do you still believe it?"

The boy scoffed. "Yeah, in fact, now I know it. No blind kid's stupid enough to take us." The other boys nodded in agreement.

"Okay, if you are so tough, hit me." Matt prayed to everything mighty that his senses were as strong as he thought. If not, this could get ugly for him, not the bad guys.

The boys glanced at each other. "You asked for it."

The 'leader' threw the first punch, but Matt's radar picked it up easily, and he dodged as if it were moving in slow motion. He heard the boy's heart speed up in shock and anger.

The boy tried to land another punch, but this time Matt was ready with a right hook of his own. It hit the boy squarely in the jaw. He stumbled back, shocked that a blind kid could (or would) hit him.

"Get'um!" He ordered.

Matt smiled. He hadn't felt this alive since his last track meet. In two minutes flat, one boy was unconscious, another nursing a bloody and most likely broken nose, and the leader had run away in fright.

Matt was about to fetch his glasses and cane when he heard another heart beat and a pair of footsteps.

"You could have done better than that," a gravely voice said.

"Who are you?" Matt asked.

"You should already know my heart rhythm by now, Punk. I've been watching you for a while."

"What do you want?" Matt's adrenaline was pumping harder as the fight-or-flight response kicked in.

The voice spit a wad of something on the ground. "I want to train you to fight like a master, not a thug."

"Excuse me?"

"You. Yah fight like a thug." He held a piece of paper out in front of Matt, who immediately grasped it.

He felt it for a moment. "I can't read this, I'm blind."

"See? You should already be able to read print. I can teach you that."

Matt was growing suspicious. "How do I know you won't kill or kidnap me if I agree to your lessons?"

"I guess you're just going to have to trust me, won't you?"

Matt was surprised to hear the heart growing fainter. The man was leaving. "You haven't told me where to go!"

He waited for a response, but none came. The man had left as silently as he'd come.

After a moment, Matt turned around and felt for his cane and glasses. He'd just replaced them on his nose when the wind blew a familiar smell towards him.

"How long have you been there?" Matt called into the shadows.

Nate jumped. "How did you know?"

"I could smell you."

"How did you do that, you know, before?"

Matt stopped in front of Nate's hiding place. "You saw everything?"

Nate nodded. He was about to answer verbally, but he didn't get the chance.

"I told you to leave." Matt knew he should be angry, but there was some comfort in someone else knowing his secret.

Nate paused as he extricated himself from his cubbyhole. "That's it, explain. Now. And I want the truth this time. How?"

Matt shrugged, but Nate pulled him to face him. "I'm not moving until you explain."

"Fine!" Matt yanked his arm out of his brother's surprisingly strong grip. "But not here. There're too many people." He led Nate into a thin alley between two collapsing buildings.

"You want the truth?"

"No Matthew, I want more lies. Of course I want the truth!"

Matt hesitated before he replied. "The truth is, ever since the accident, I can hear, taste, smell, and feel better than I think anyone else can. And I think I have radar."

Nate's mouth dropped open like a cartoon character.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"No. That's the thing. I can't believe I didn't see it before. In the hospital, when you woke up the first time, you kept telling me I was yelling, but I was barely speaking. And then you always seem to know where I am…" Nate trailed off.

"It was bad in the beginning, but I'm getting better. The radar is weak though. I trust my hearing more."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I know where you are not because I am paying attention to the radar, but because I can hear your heart and breathing. And because my radar can only really focus on denser objects closer to my face, hence me tripping over the empty backpack this morning."

"So your eyes do work?"

"No. I can't see light from dark. The waste accomplished something."

"So what does the radar look like?"

Matt was silent for a moment. "I can't explain it. I just know where objects are in relation to where I'm standing."

"You know that this is totally cool, right?" Nate said after a minute's pondering.

Suddenly Matt grabbed his baby brother's shoulders. "I don't care, you can't tell anyone what I just said. Do you hear me? I never meant for you to watch me fight those idiots, in fact, I shouldn't have even done it in the first place."

Nate pulled away from his brother's cold fingers. "What do you think I am, a junky? Do you really think I would tell somebody my older brother has superpowers?"

"I don't," Matt muttered, feeling slightly ashamed at his outburst.

"Don't what? Think I'm a gossip or that you have superpowers?"

"Both."

"You do so have powers."

"Not."

"Do."

The two teenagers continued their "argument" as they walked home. That night Nate whispered softly into his pillow, knowing that Matt would hear him. "Thanks for explaining, Daredevil."

Matt raised his head slightly off his pillow. "Daredevil?"

"Yeah. It's what I've decided your name is."

"But why that?"

"Because you were either stupid or taking a dare when you saved me in the alley, and I know you are anything but stupid. And you have a hell of a right hook."

Matt chuckled into his pillow. "I love you, you know that?"

"I love you too. 'Night."

The two boys sat in the dark for a long time, and then Matt remembered something. "Nate? I know you're not asleep."

"Yeah, so?"

Matt got up and walked to the side of Nate's bed. "Can I ask you to do something?"

Nate sat up. "What?"

Matt held up the piece of paper the man had thrust into his hand. "Can you tell me what this says?"

His brother turned on the light, clearly not tired. "This isn't what I think it is, is it? You aren't really thinking about what the man said, are you?"

"You heard that? Jeez, you must have been listening pretty hard."

Nate blushed, "I wanted to see what you would do."

"Yeah, well, I just want to know what it says. I don't know if I'm going to go."

Nate shrugged and took the torn sheet from Matt's offering hand. "'Tomorrow, warehouse on 106th street. Be there by ten o'clock sharp if you want my help.'"

**A/N: Okay, that's it for today. Stay tuned. Next chapter: Lesson One! **


	7. Lesson One

**A/N: TA-DA! Chapter seven. Better late than never, right? So this time thanks goes out to girlwithoutfear. Give her a round of applause (as Stan Lee would say), she sent back corrections in two hours. Thanks! I think my sister just got fired... **

Chapter 7: Lesson One

Matt turned off his book at nine thirty the next night. Nate had fallen asleep a little while earlier, so he was as quiet as he could, but apparently he wasn't as good as he thought he was.

Nate sat up suddenly. "You are not going."

"Yes, I am."

Nate looked shocked. "Why the hell are you going to do something so stupid? You don't even know the guy!"

Matt sat down on the end of the bed. "I want to be able to do that, " he gestured at the book Nate had been reading, "again. I don't want to have to wait for braille or rely on someone else to explain the layout of a room."

"Then I'm coming with you." He got out of bed and started to get dressed, but Matt stopped him.

"No, you're not going anywhere. I'm going alone, got it? And I can promise you that I'll know if you're following me." He picked up his cane.

Matt walked silently out of the apartment, listening for any sign that his parents were awake. He felt bad about leaving Nate but if it did turn out that the man wasn't to be trusted, he didn't want Nate to get hurt.

He ducked into an alley a block from the apartment building, waiting. Suddenly he sprang out from the hiding place. "I told you not to follow me! Go home!"

Nate tried and failed to wriggle out of his brother's grip. "That's not going to happen."

Matt gave up and released Nate. Secretly, he was glad he wasn't going alone. "Don't say a word, got it? And you do everything I say."

Nate nodded fervently.

The two boys walked quickly to the warehouse, Matt praying that he knew what he was doing. He prepared himself for the worst, making sure his little brother stayed behind him.

"I don't remember saying he could come along." The man was waiting in the shadows outside the warehouse.

"You didn't say much." Matt replied, trying to figure out this mysterious man.

"Next time you're coming alone, Punk." The man opened the warehouse door. "Get in."

"Why?" Matt was still apprehensive. He could hear his brother's heart beat faster with fear as well.

The man spit again. "You wannah learn, you follow my orders without questions." He disappeared into the building.

Nate pulled Matt back. "What makes you so sure he can help you?"

"Because I can." The voice echoed out from the depths of the warehouse. The man whispered so softly, Nate couldn't hear him, but Matt could. "You didn't think you were the only one, now did you?"

Matt walked into the building, Nate following close behind.

"It's so dark. How does he know where he's going?" Nate whispered.

"You want light?" A single light bulb hanging from the ceiling suddenly turned on, sending harsh shadows against the walls. For the first time, Nate saw the man's face, and what he saw shocked him so much, he fell backwards into Matt.

Nate starred at the old face, wrinkled with age and sun, but that's not what had shocked him so badly. The shock came the man's eyes; completely white with no pupils whatsoever. If he'd thought Matt's were bad, they were nothing compared to this.

"Go sit somewhere," the blind man commanded Nate. "Punk," he gestured to Matt, "you are going to fight me."

"No!" Matt backed away. He was getting the same impression of this man as he had on their first encounter, which was to say, not good. "Not until I get a more information. Who are you? What are you going to do?"

The man snorted impatiently. "Call me Stick. Now show me what you've got."

Matt wasn't entirely convinced, but so far Stick hadn't given him a reason to distrust him. He assumed the boxing stance his father had taught him when he was little.

Stick swung the staff he'd picked up, knocking Matt's feet out from under him. Matt landed flat on his back before he registered he'd been hit.

"Hit me!" Stick yelled.

Matt stood up again, this time determined not to miss a thing. He managed to dodge another attack, but he didn't have time to feel proud of himself because right after he was slammed into a wall. He struggled to get up, the wind knocked out of him.

"Don't get cocky!" Stick yelled, "You do, and you get hit."

Nate couldn't take it anymore. His blood boiled, and suddenly he was running. Stick barely got out of the way of his fist in time. Nate joined his brother on the floor.

"You idiot." Stick didn't sound angry though. "But not bad. You have something. Get up, both of you."

Nate looked at his brother. Matt had clenched his jaw at his brother's recklessness.

Matt picked himself up, shooting a nasty glare at his stupid little brother. He wanted to tell Nate to leave, now, but he'd already learned that arguing with Stick was more than just stupid; it was dangerous.

"You both have talent, or at least speed." Matt doubted that Stick complimented people much. "From now on, you are to report here every other day at ten o'clock. Understand?" Both boys nodded, too afraid of saying something stupid.

"Good. Now go. Be back Friday, and don't be late."

* * *

Matt and Nate walked home together, neither one saying a word. They tiptoed past their sleeping parents' room. Matt was thankful that both were heavy sleepers; Jack especially could sleep through anything.

The brothers collapsed onto their beds. "That was the strangest two hours I think I've ever spent," Nate whispered.

"You could say that again, " Matt mumbled, trying not to breathe too hard. He was really starting to feel the last whipping. "Hey, Nate? What do you think about Stick?"

Nate thought for a minute. "I don't really know. I think he must be a great fighter, and… there's something else, Matt. He's like you."

Matt nodded. "I know. So do you think we should go back on Friday?"

The thirteen year old snorted. "Do you think we have a choice?"


	8. Ready

**A/N: Oh yeah, I'm spoiled. Girlwithoutfear sent this back in record time, so you all get another chapter! Another thanks out to her! **

Chapter 8: Ready

"Come on, they're asleep." Matt shook his brother awake. "We'll be late if we don't hurry."

That got Nate up. The brothers had been late once to their class with Stick and neither one wanted a repeat performance. "What time is it?"

Matt felt his watch. "Nine forty-five."

"Shit!" He jumped into his pants. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"I did. You sleep like Dad."

"Come on. Let's go." Nate pushed past Matt.

A lot had changed in the seven months they'd been studying under Stick. True to his word, Matt could now read print and both boys could be mistaken for pros. Stick had taught Matt to control his senses, and Matt had developed his radar past the point he'd thought possible.

The training had helped both boys in school also, despite the fact that they were living on much less sleep. Stick's training had given Nate much more self-confidence, not to mention a good physique, and he was now almost popular.

Matt was now able to tolerate the noise of high school and he'd come to the terms of his blindness, trying out for and getting on the debate team. He too had gained back the confidence he'd had before the accident and therefore, was one of the best students and as popular as he'd once been.

The two boys were also closer than they had ever been. As far apart as they'd been before the accident was as close as they were now. Everything was different, and all thanks to their tough-as-nails sensei.

Matt and Nate ran to the warehouse. A year ago it would have killed Nate to even think about running the mile in less than ten minutes, but now he easily ran it in four.

"Are we late?" he asked Matt. His own watch didn't light up, and it was too dark to read it. Luckily Matt didn't have that problem.

"We made it."

"You have one minute left to get in here," their teacher called from inside the warehouse.

The boys were in before he finished the sentence.

"Now, Boy," Stick was referring to Nate, "go warm up. You--Punk," here he was talking to Matt, "we are going to fight."

This was usual. Matt was the better fighter of the two, though Nate was not at all shabby.

The sixteen year old struck first, taking the offensive side. Stick defended himself with his stick.

The two were in it now, moving so fast, Nate doubted that he would have been able to see them had he not been training under the same teacher.

There was something different with this fight, however. Even though Matt was good, he still hadn't managed to stay on his feet longer than five minutes. But to Nate's surprise, Matt hadn't been knocked down once. Stick kept trying, but Matt wouldn't let him. In fact, it seemed like Matt had the upper hand, if that was the right phrase.

After the first ten minutes, Nate stopped warming up and just watched the two men. Five minutes after that, his mouth went slack in shock. He'd always known Matt had a gift, but this seemed impossible.

Finally Stick managed to find a hole in Matt's defenses, and he took it. He pushed Matt against the wall, pinning him with the stick. It had taken almost thirty minutes, their longest fight yet. Matt was perspiring from the effort, and though Stick didn't show it, Nate was sure he was just as tired.

Stick's voice was surprisingly even when he said, "Rest for ten minutes, then you and your brother are going to fight."

Matt nodded, walking slowly to his pack and water.

"He's completely worn out!" Nate had forgotten the most important rule of Stick's classes: _never _disagree with the sensei.

"So?" Stick responded flatly, shrugging. "Life's tough."

"It's okay, Natty, I'm okay." Matt stood up. "Let's do this."

Nate wasn't going to argue with both his brother and teacher. He faced his brother.

This time Nate started. He kicked Matt, or at least he tried to. Matt, despite being tired, was still faster than he could ever hope to be. He never even got a good hit in before he was on the floor and Matt was holding his hand out to help him up.

Stick clapped slowly, the nearest thing to a compliment he ever came. "Don't bother coming on Saturday," he said.

Matt and Nate both turned, questioning him silently.

After a pause, he added, "I'm done."

Matt spoke first. "But I didn't win."

"So?"

Matt shrugged, "I thought you were going to make us masters."

"I said _like _a master. Even I can't make you a master." Stick left without another word.

"What did he mean?" Matt asked his brother.

"I think he just said you've graduated." Nate sounded surprised, not really believing his own words.

"That doesn't make any sense." Matt felt betrayed and abandoned. "I didn't beat him."

"Yeah, Matt, I think you did." Nate gathered their things, handing Matt his cane. "What you should be asking yourself is, what about your little brother?"

Matt took the cane. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't beat you or him. Does that mean that I'm still enrolled?"

"I think he wants me to teach you."

"And are you?"

"Do you want me to?"

Nate stopped and looked at his brother. He thought back to the way he'd fought earlier, remembering the feeling of pride and longing he'd felt as he watched. "Yes."

Matt pulled his brother into a headlock, something he hadn't done since they were little. "I guess that means we're coming back on Saturday."


	9. Confessions

**A/N: Congratulations, you have reached the sappiest point in the whole story! I debated about posting it for a while, but my wonderful beta (girlwithoutfear) edited it again in record time, so I thought I might as well. ModernScribe, no comments. Everyone else is welcome to. Oh hey, anyone notice the postings? Three (about to be four) chapters in two days. All thanks to girlwithoutfear! **

Chapter 9: Confessions

"Do you think I should try out for the wrestling team?" Nate asked Matt as they were walking home from a night at the warehouse. It was a week before school started. Matt would be a senior, Nate a sophomore.

It was almost a year and a half since Stick had left and the boys had continued what he'd taught them. The two went to the old warehouse at least three times a week, and exercised for an hour before sparring until one of them realized how late it was getting. Matt still won most of the time, but Nate had improved greatly under Matt's patient teaching.

"What was that?" Matt asked, not really paying attention. He'd been thinking about next week.

"Come on Matt, I know you heard me."

"Heard, yes; listened, no. What'd you ask?"

"Do you think I should try out for the wrestling team?"

Matt shrugged, "I don't know. I think we have a good team," Matt really didn't pay much attention to those sorts of sports anymore, "but why wrestling?"

After almost two years of extreme martial arts and complicated gymnastics, Matt found that boxing and wrestling were as brutish as Stick had said the first time they'd met.

"I know, but it's not like Jefferson has a mixed martial arts team."

Matt inclined his head. Their high school wasn't all that big, and only really had the basic sport teams: basketball, football, and wrestling.

"I'm sure the cheerleaders would love to have you for your gymnastics."

Nate threw a light punch at his brother, but Matt dodged it easily. "That wasn't funny."

"Speak for yourself. I thought it was hilarious." Matt stopped suddenly outside the door to their apartment.

Nate looked at him. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Shush. They'll hear you!"

"Who?" But Matt didn't bother answering because at that moment, the door swung open and Nate was starring at his father's pajama top. "Oh shit," he breathed.

"You could say that," Jack growled. "Where the hell have you two been?"

Nate glanced at Matt, willing him to think of a good excuse, because his brain was blank. Thankfully Matt seemed to be reading his mind.

"Can we come in?" Matt asked, sounding, in Nate's opinion, very cool considering they'd been caught coming home at three o'clock in the morning.

Jack grudgingly let them in. "You have got some major explaining to do," he warned them.

Matt calmly walked in, heading to the couch, where he knew his mother was sitting. He'd rehearsed what he would say if they were ever caught, knowing, after all, that their good luck wouldn't last forever. In fact, Matt was surprised it had taken them so long to get caught.

"Mom," he said, greeting her cordially. Nate wasn't so brave. He just sat down on a chair opposite, looking ashamed.

"Where have you been?" Maggie asked sharply, her husband coming to stand next to her. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

Matt took a deep breath. "I couldn't sleep," this was a logical thing to say, he often had trouble going to sleep, "and I heard that Nate wasn't either, so I asked him to come on a walk with me."

"For three hours?" Jack interrogated, "Where did you go, Brooklyn?"

Matt winced slightly. He hadn't expected his parents to know how long they'd been out. His story was ruined now. He decided in that moment to tell the truth. "Okay, you're right, we weren't on a walk."

"Matt!" Nate tried to stop him from telling their secret, but Matt pretended not to notice.

"The truth is, we were at the gym."

"The gym?" Maggie was surprised. "Why were you at the gym at three o'clock in the morning?"

Matt let his face blush slightly. "We've always gone then."

"But why son? It's not like you can't get in during the day." Jack spoke up.

Matt decided to release some of the frustration he'd felt for the last three years. "No, you're wrong. I _can't _use it during the day."

"That's ridiculous and you know it!"

Matt stood up for effect. "Really? Is it? When was the last time you let me use the weights? Or the last time I used the treadmill? Huh?" Jack didn't answer. "See? You wouldn't have let me use the machines without you watching over me every second."

"But I…" Jack tried to respond but nothing was working.

Matt didn't bother waiting. He turned and headed to his room, closely tailed by Nate.

"That was the greatest thing I think you've done since you beat Stick," Nate said as soon as Matt had closed the door. "How long have you been practicing that?"

Matt shrugged. "That wasn't the rehearsed one. The walk was rehearsed. I adlibbed the second."

"Wow. I'll give you this Matt, if your dream of being a lawyer falls through, you have a good shot at the movies." Nate crawled into his bed, sighing with relief. "I bet Dad's going to let us use the gym now. Won't that be great?"

"Yeah." Matt wasn't really listening to anything his brother was saying. He heard Jack talking to Maggie in the living room and a wave of guilt washed over him.

"_I just don't want him hurt again." Jack explained._

"_I know, and I'm sure Mattie does too." Maggie patted her husband on the back consolingly. "He knows you love him."_

"_Yeah, but what does he think of me? Do you think he thinks I see him as less than normal?" _

"No, Dad, I don't." Matt was standing in the doorway, one hand lightly touching the wall. "I don't blame you in the slightest."

He took a deep breath. For the longest time, Matt had wanted to tell his secret to his parents, but there never seemed to be the right time. Now seemed as good as it was going to get. "I've got something to tell you."

Matt walked over to the chair Nate had occupied half an hour ago. After a moment, He cleared his throat, unsure of what to say.

Jack tried to say something, but Matt stopped him. "Please, Dad, let me say something."

Matt picked up a book from the table in front of him, hearing his mother gasp when his hand went directly to it. Matt turned to a random page, and just like Stick had taught him, read the printed words aloud. He read a couple of lines before putting the book down. His parents were too shocked to speak, so he went on.

"Please don't say anything yet." Matt begged, fearing that if they did, he would lose his nerves. He walked over to the kitchen and closed the cupboard door that Jack had left open when he made Maggie tea earlier.

"The neighbor below us is an insomniac. He wakes up most nights and turns on the television. Mom, you put half a teaspoon too much salt in the soup last night."

Matt sat back down, smiling grimly at his parents' amazement.

"Can you…?"Jack's voice trailed off, but Matt understood what he was saying.

Matt took off his glasses, showing his frosted eyes to his parents. "No. Still blind."

"But how?" Maggie finally managed to get the words out.

"The isotope. As far as I can figure, it enhanced my remaining senses and gave me an extra one for good measure."

"Another sense?" Jack sounded skeptical.

"Radar." Matt realized he'd have to explain further. "When I read the book, you and Mom looked at each other. Before I came into the room, your head was resting in your hands."

Maggie was crying now. "How long?"

"Have I been able to do this?" Matt shrugged. "They were heightened after the accident, but I only learned to control them this way after Stick."

"Stick?" Maggie asked, hoping he wasn't talking about his cane.

"He was our sensei."

"Our?"

"Nate and I. I met him after my first day of high school and Natty followed me to my first class. He taught me to use my senses and he taught us both how to fight."

The last sentence blew Jack's mind. "Are you telling me you can fight?"

"Yeah. Stick taught us a certain type of mixed martial arts and gymnastics."

"Can you, you know, show us?" Maggie still couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Matt paused for a moment before nodding, and said in the same tone. "Natty, you can come out now."

Nate walked shamefully out from behind the wall. He hadn't been sure that Matt had noticed he'd been watching.

"Help me with this." Matt gestured to the table, which would get in the way of their fighting space. Together he and Nate pushed all the furniture against the walls, leaving a clear space.

"Ready?" Matt asked Nate. Nate nodded and attacked first.

It was a wonderful feeling, not having to hide his ability from his parents. He could feel Jack's pride washing over him, and it felt better than good.

Matt and Nate sparred for a few minutes before Matt cornered his brother against the wall, wishing it could have lasted longer.

Jack collapsed on the couch, tears of joy falling freely from his eyes. While he'd never encouraged Matt to follow in his footsteps, he'd always been sorry that Matt couldn't once he went blind. And now not only was his son more than capable of protecting himself, he was also clearly a master of the mixed martial arts and therefore twice the fighter.

Jack sniffed heavily and Matt walked over to him. "Are you okay, Dad?"

Jack grabbed his eldest son in a huge hug. "Okay? You just gave me the best present I could ever get."

Matt was suffocating underneath his father's arms, but he didn't want to let go quite yet. Maggie finally pushed her husband away, only to hug Matt harder.

"I always knew you were a fighter," she whispered, kissing him hard on the cheek. "I have never been so happy."

Jack suddenly remembered that Matt hadn't been fighting air. He turned to his younger son, who was watching his parents.

"Come here Natty." Jack said, holding his arms open wide. "You were magnificent."

"No, Dad, Matt's the magnificent one." He couldn't help adding, "I'm just really good."

Matt laughed, extracting himself clumsily from his mother. "And I was about to say that you were being too modest."

After a moment, Jack pulled his sons together, looking between them. For the first time, Jack noticed that neither of his sons had an ounce of body fat. They were incredibly muscular, something he found quite impossible to miss now that he knew their great secret.

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?" Nate asked.

"Hide it for so long?"

Nate answered for the both of them. "You are both heavy sleepers and one of the first things Stick taught us was to move silently."

Maggie spoke from her seat on the couch. "Where is this Stick person?"

This time it was Matt who answered. "We don't know. He left about a year and a half ago."

"So what were you two doing tonight?"

"We didn't stop when he left." Nate sounded almost offended, as if the thought of giving up was ridiculous. "Matt won the last fight, and so he said he was done. Matt's been the teacher since."

Jack looked at his eldest again. "Is that true, Mattie?"

"He beat me, I don't know why Natty keeps saying I won." He directed the last line at his little brother.

Nate rolled his eyes. They'd gone over it time and time again, but he decided to let it slide.

Suddenly Matt felt very tired. He checked his watch, feeling his parents' questioning gaze. "I still can't read a normal watch," he explained after a confused silence. "I'm still blind."

"Right, of course." Jack tried to sound like he hadn't been wondering, but Matt just laughed, knowing the truth.

"Come on Natty, it's almost five." He pulled his baby brother toward his room. He'd reached his bed when he realized he'd left his glasses on the living room table. He turned around to fetch them.

"Mattie?" Jack was still sitting in the same position, "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Matt picked up his glasses before he answered the question. "I think because I was afraid that if I told you, you would overestimate my abilities." He whispered to the carpet.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm still blind. Every once in a while I trip over a forgotten shoe. I still have to really concentrate to read print, and I can't read the blackboard at school. I can't tell you what you look like, or anything like that. Do you see where I'm going here?"

"I think so. You were afraid that we'd forget that it's not easy?"

Matt nodded, and for the first time that night, he felt a drop fall onto his cheek. Jack saw it and enveloped his son into a loving hug.

"I can't promise you that I won't overestimate you, Mattie. But I can promise that I won't ever underestimate you again. I love you, more than I think you realize and I couldn't be more proud of you or your brother if I tried." Jack kissed his son's dark red hair lightly. "Tomorrow, come to the gym."

Matt sniffed, feeling the warm glow of contentment in his chest.


	10. Acceptance

**A/N: Confession time! Ofcatsandwomen? I totally based this chapter off of LOST AND FOUND. Please take it as a complement and not flat out copying (I did change a few things, no matter how much I wanted to use the phrase "infinitely near-sighted"). So thanks to ofcats and girlwithoutfear. Without them, I would have frozen halfway through. **

Chapter 10: Acceptance

Matt opened the door to the apartment, surprised to hear both of his parents in the living room. A feeling of foreboding growing in his stomach, he put down his bag and closed the door.

"Should I be worried?" he asked, walking into the room. "Why are you both home?"

Maggie looked up. "Oh thank God, we're dying over here."

Matt's ears registered her picking up a folder off the table. "Is that it?"

"We think so." Jack replied. "Maggie called me when she came home from work."

"And you've been waiting all that time?" Maggie generally came home around three and it was already past four.

Jack shrugged. "I was in favor of steam, but your mother said you'd know."

Matt smiled. Maggie was probably right. "So can I see it?" His mother handed him the envelope, and he felt the return address. "It's from them," he said quite unnecessarily.

"Do you want me to read it aloud, or do you?" Jack asked. It hadn't taken him long to get used to seeing his son read print, though he still found extremely cool every time he did it.

Matt would have ordinarily asked him as reading print was hardly an easy task, but today was different. "I'll read it."

He turned to walk to his room, but his parents stopped him.

"We just told you we were waiting here for over an hour, the tension killing us, and you're not even going to let us read it?" Maggie said, completely flabbergasted.

"I will, just let me do it in my room." Matt didn't want his parents to see his disappointment, just in case. He picked up his cane and backpack and walked to his room.

"Can you give me the room for a few minutes?" he asked Nate, who was working on something in the middle of the floor.

Nate looked up, "Why?"

"Please?"

Nate grumbled loudly as he pushed himself up from the floor. As soon as he'd crossed the threshold, Matt shut the door.

Matt sat down on his bed and took a deep breath. He slowly opened the envelope, his fingers shaking so hard, he could barely keep them on the thin lines.

Ten minutes later he walked out of the room, his face giving nothing away. His family watched him with bated breath as he passed the letter to Jack and sat down next to Nate.

Jack cleared his throat and read aloud. "Dear Mr. Murdock, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Columbia University." Jack stopped reading and shouted, "You got in, Mattie! You're going to college!"

Maggie was smiling wider than her face would have normally allowed and Jack practically tackled his son in his excitement.

"Keep reading, " Matt said from inside his father's jacket. Jack pulled away and continued reading.

"'We are further honored to inform you that you are this year's recipient for the Jim Hassie Scholarship. Columbia is proud to say that it accepts this scholarship. The terms are listed below. We hope to see you on September third, signed, Edward Adamson, Dean of Admissions.'"

Jack put down the letter and collapsed on the couch. While he and Maggie had been saving money for their sons' college fund, they hadn't been sure they had enough for both. Now they didn't have to worry.

"I can't believe it." Jack whispered.

"I can." Maggie kissed her eldest fondly. "I knew you were going to get it the moment I read your scholarship essay."

Matt blushed, not used to so much affection all at once. "Yeah, well, I guess that means I'm going to Columbia."

"You better believe it, boy." Jack replied happily.

Nate had been quiet all this time. Finally he stood up, "I can't believe you're leaving."

Matt hugged his baby brother. "Columbia's just 50 or 60 blocks away, if you wanted to, you could run it."

Nate smiled, "or you could."

Matt swatted his brother playfully. "Or you could."

* * *

Foggy Nelson inspected the place that would be his home for the next nine-and-a-bit-months. He'd been lucky when it came to his dormitory. He'd been assigned to the new dorms, built last year, and fully equipped. There were three small rooms: a slightly cramped bedroom with two beds, a tiny bathroom, and a small kitchen/lounge area. It was really very nice.

His father had been telling him about his dorm room when he was in college, and Foggy had decided that if he got stuck in the same dorm as his father, he'd leave Columbia and transfer to another college. But now the only thing that worried him was his roommate.

Foggy looked at his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. He wondered what was keeping – he looked at the sheet the girl who'd given him the key had handed him – Matthew Murdock. He sincerely hoped he wasn't going to be one of those roommates from hell he'd read about in horror books.

Foggy was about to go back into the bedroom and rearrange his stuff again when the door opened. The first thing that crossed his mind was that the boy was young. That didn't go well, young meant smart and Foggy had enough confidence issues as it was.

"How old are you?" Foggy asked suddenly, skipping hello in favor of a direct attack.

The boy looked confused, "Almost seventeen, why?"

"Aren't you a little young?"

"For what?" The boy didn't look too pleased at being called young.

"For going to college." Another boy stepped in behind the first. He was wearing sunglasses and holding a white cane. Suddenly it clicked with Foggy that the boy was blind.

The first boy laughed. "I'm not your roommate." He, like his brother Foggy supposed, had understood.

The blind boy stepped forward and put his hand out. "Matt Murdock, at your service. And this is my little brother, Natty."

Nate shot his brother a glare that he wouldn't pick up, "It's Nate."

"He doesn't really much care for his nickname," Matt explained, giving his new roommate a smile.

Foggy blushed a pleasant shade of crimson and shook Matt's hand. "Franklin Nelson, but everyone calls me Foggy."

Foggy studied Matt. He was taller than his brother, if he had to guess he would put him around six feet. His hair was a reddish brown and he was handsome, not like his brother's roguish good looks, but like a good-guy-knight-on-white-horse kind of way. The only thing that seemed to portray any weakness was the white cane.

Just then, Matt's parents walked in. Jack was huffing as he carried a beaten suitcase and Maggie was offering moral support. "Is this it, Mattie?"

Matt nodded, turning to face his parents. He gestured to Foggy. "Mom, Dad, meet Foggy."

Maggie gave Foggy the once-over, and seeming to approve, shook his hand and introduced herself, as did her husband.

Meanwhile, Matt walked around the small dorm. Though he trusted his radar, he didn't want Foggy to suspect his secret quite yet. Sometimes the cane came in handy.

About ten or so minutes later, Matt pushed his family out the door with: "I'll see you all in two weeks." He sighed as he shut the door and turned his attention to his new roommate.

"So," Matt found his way to the couch he knew was close, "which bed did you choose?"

Foggy responded hesitantly, still unsure of how to act around Matt. "The left, but if you want to change…"

"Nah, fine with me." Matt put his foot lightly on the coffee table before saying, "Do you mind?"

Foggy shook his head before he remembered his roommate wouldn't get it. "No, by all means." He put his feet up too.

Matt laughed. He'd decided they would get along fine, but he could tell Foggy was awkward. "I guess you weren't expecting the blind guy to be your roommate."

Foggy smile slightly, unsure if it was okay. "Well…"

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly capable." Matt decided now would be a good time to set up the basics. "All I need from you is to not move anything around without telling me--that can be painful, if you get my drift, " he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't worry. I'm not even sure how to move furniture. My room hasn't changed since elementary school." Foggy commented, suddenly realizing that sounded lame. "I mean, the layout hasn't."

Matt smiled broadly. "I get it. The second thing is that I don't care if you use my stuff; just make sure you put it back where you found it. That way I don't have to spend time looking for it."

"That sounds reasonable." Foggy was more comfortable now. Matt seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't care about some crumbs here and there. He also had a certain air about him that helped put Foggy at ease.

"On the other hand, I'm a good cook and I don't hog the mirror in the morning." Matt added, feeling like the mood was getting too serious.

"Well that's really good to know. I'm a terrible cook." Foggy tried to keep the light air going.

Matt laughed and then stood up. "Let's go unpack, shall we?" He could tell that Foggy had only really taken out the basics. Foggy followed him into the bedroom.

Matt organized his stuff quickly, not having much in the way of knickknacks. Foggy was surprised to see him put a picture on his desk. Matt could sense his friend's curiosity.

"My parents gave it to me. I guess they want to make sure I'd tell you about them."

"Oh, yeah. That makes more sense." Foggy had been wondering why a blind person would have photos, but now that Matt had explained it, he did have to agree that photos were more for strangers than the owners.

They were almost done when Matt asked, "So where're you from?"

"Long Island. You?"

"My father owns a gym in the Kitchen and we live about a block away." Matt had already figured that he had little in common with his new friend. They went back to unpacking.

After a while, Foggy found he had to ask. He got the feeling that Matt wasn't the kind of guy who would mind being asked a personal question. "Were you always, you know?"

"Blind? No, only since I was fifteen." Foggy was right, Matt didn't mind being asked. He'd realized long ago that just getting it out there made everything move a lot smoother.

"Really?" Matt could hear Foggy's surprise. Most people were when they heard how recent it had been.

Foggy paused for a second before continuing. "What happened?"

Matt put down the braille book he was holding. "I was in an accident."

Something clicked in Foggy's mind. He remembered watching something on the TV awhile back. Something about a boy in Hell's Kitchen… Suddenly he remembered what it had been about. "So that was you?"

Matt raised his head. "Who?"

"In the report. You were the boy who saved that man four years ago."

Matt blushed slightly. He'd known that he'd been on television, but he didn't think anyone had remembered. "Yeah." He shrugged, "It was just a reaction."

Foggy felt very small compared to this hero putting his socks in his drawer. "I remember my teacher talking about it."

"Really, it was nothing." Matt hated being thought of as a hero. He changed the subject. "Are you done?"

Foggy looked around. "Yeah."

"What do you say we go get lunch?"

Foggy got the hint. Too much was too much. "I think there's something to eat at the student center."

Matt picked up his cane. "Great. Let's go."

Outside, Matt stopped. "You know what?"

Foggy stopped too. "What?"

Matt took his friend's elbow. "Do you mind leading?"

Foggy didn't know what to do. "No, sure."

"Good." Matt noticed Foggy's hesitation. "Just walk. I'll follow you."

Foggy nodded and started walking. "And Foggy? Don't walk me into a tree."

Foggy smiled, recognizing the joke. "What's your opinion on taxicabs?"

Matt laughed loudly; glad to see his roommate did have a sense of humor.

Suddenly Foggy felt a lot better. The awkwardness he'd felt in the bedroom was gone now, and he soon forgot that Matt was attached to his arm.

He stopped outside the hall and Matt released him. "Now what?" Foggy asked.

"Now we go in and order lunch." Matt replied, giving his new friend a comforting smile that said volumes about his character.

After the two had gotten their lunch, Matt asked, "So how did you get the nickname Foggy?"

Foggy choked slightly on the hamburger he'd just bitten into. "It's a long story."

"Hey, I answered your questions." Matt pretended to be hurt, knowing Foggy could take it.

Foggy sighed. It wasn't as much long as a little embarrassing, but a tit for a tat. "It's what they used to call me in junior high."

"Wow. That was a great story that told me absolutely nothing about you." Matt pushed, smiling broadly to show he was only joking.

Foggy smiled at Matt's strange brand of humor. "Alright, alright. I used to be a little naïve and I was a little out of it in school." He waited to see Matt's reaction. For some reason, he found himself trying to impress his new roommate.

"I can sympathize. My little brother used to be the same way," Matt commented.

"Yeah, well, the other kids saw me and they called me foggy in the brain. And it stuck. I used to hate it, but now I guess it sort of grew on me." Foggy shrugged into his almost finished burger.

"If it makes you feel any better, Nate hates his nickname." Matt replied, trying to wipe off the last of the grease.

"At least it's not Nat." Foggy laughed slightly.

"Trust me, I tried." Matt stood up carrying his tray. "Now be a good man and point me in the direction of the nearest trashcan." Matt didn't really need the help, his nose was picking up the scent of decomposing fast food just fine, but he wasn't sure yet whether he could trust Foggy enough to let him know it.

"I'll take it." Foggy put the last bit of meat in his mouth, preparing to take both trays, but Matt stopped him.

"No offense, Foggy, but if you don't plan to take the trash everyday, you should probably tell me where it is."

Foggy blushed again. "Oh right. It's to your left," He tried to estimate how many feet away, "I think about fifteen feet away."

"Right, but if you use the face of a clock to give me specifics, I can find it better. Like, it's at ten o'clock, about fifteen feet away. Otherwise, I'll turn ninety degrees left, and that might not be what you meant, you know?" Matt picked up Foggy's tray as well, despite his friend's insistence, and followed Foggy's directions as if he didn't already know where to go.

Foggy watched his friend as he deftly found his way. Already Foggy could tell that Matt wasn't at all afraid, and his confidence was contagious. He found himself feeling like he could tell this boy anything without having to worry about being judged. It was good and Foggy knew that he'd found a friend.


	11. Christmas

**A/N: Greetings! Thanks goes out again to girlwithoutfear for her editing talents. **

Chapter 11: Christmas

Matt was working on an assignment for his psychology class and Foggy was putting the finishing touches on an essay when Matt suddenly spoke.

"My family would like to know if you're going to be free for Christmas," Matt said as fast as he could, trying to get it over with. Maggie had made him promise to ask when he'd last come home for a visit.

Foggy looked up, surprised at his friend's hesitancy. "What?"

"Oh, don't make me say it again," Matt quipped, knowing for sure that Foggy had heard what he'd said.

Foggy smiled broadly. "Yeah, when did you want me?"

"When do you need to be home?" Maggie hadn't given him a specific timeline, so Matt was open for suggestions.

Foggy thought for a moment. "I guess I have to be home for Christmas dinner."

"Good. Then you'll come home with me and spend Christmas morning with us." Matt said it like it was already finalized.

"Yes sir."

And that was it. Foggy was going to spend three days with the Murdocks.

* * *

"You ready for this?" Matt asked as they got out of the cab in front of his family's apartment building.

Foggy looked at him sharply. "Is there a reason I shouldn't?"

Matt laughed and led the way to the door. He pressed the call button, having surrendered his key to Nate when he moved to college.

"Yeah?" Nate's voice sounded crackly coming out of the old intercom that seemed to always be on its last legs.

"Just let us in will you? It's freakin' cold out here!" Matt responded.

"Now watch your language, mister. No one's going to do anything for you if you don't act nice," Nate teased, still not letting them in.

Matt sighed, but Foggy could tell he was enjoying himself. "Make us wait one more minute and I'm going to break down the door and pop you into next week!"

The door buzzed open.

"See? Just got to be hard on them." Matt nodded wisely at his best friend.

"Of course." Foggy pretended to sound pompous. The two boys continued the joke all the way upstairs.

At the door Matt stopped. "Well, here we are."

Foggy didn't have time to comment before Nate opened the door.

"You're out of shape. It took you three minutes to climb up." Nate started even before the door was open.

Matt mock swatted his baby brother, making sure to aim a little to the left for Foggy's sake. He still hadn't told him what he could do.

"We'll see about that," he whispered at his brother. Though there hadn't been any formal plans, both were counting the minutes until their joust tonight, assuming Foggy wouldn't wake up.

"Ah! You're here!" Maggie came out of the kitchen smelling like roast chicken. "I thought I heard Natty talking to someone."

She greeted the two boys warmly. "Your father's trying to make the mashed potatoes," she said pointedly to her eldest son.

Matt laughed lightly. Everyone knew that Jack's potatoes always came out wrong. "Come on, Fog," he pulled his friend away from the door, "Let's go help Dad."

Foggy was still getting used to the small apartment. He knew Matt's family was on the lower end of the middle class, but he'd expected a little more room to maneuver. He suddenly felt kind of awkward in Matt's presence. He'd grown up in a good house with a guest room.

"How's it going, Dad?" Matt asked, walking into the kitchen.

Jack looked up, a look of relief spreading across his face. "Oh thank God. I don't know why your mother insists on giving me the toughest dishes."

He backed away to let his older son take over. "I've been struggling with this recipe for hours."

Matt's smile grew. "Foggy, why don't you go ask Nate to show you where to put your stuff down while I do this?" He'd just remembered Foggy, who was standing alone at the door.

"Natty!" Matt called, knowing that Foggy would never have the nerve to actually find him himself.

"What?" Nate tried to sound irritated, but he wasn't doing a good job. He'd missed having his brother around.

"Will you show Foggy where our room is?"

"Yeah, come on." He led Foggy out of the kitchen, through the small living room, and down the hall. "Here's our room." He opened the door. "Dad and I changed the sheets, so they're clean."

Foggy put down his suitcase, looking around. "Which bed do I use?"

"You're in mine. It's the one on the left." Nate pointed to the bed next to the wall with all the posters. "That one's Matt's, obviously." The other wall was almost entirely blank, a poster of Columbia being the only exception.

"Where are you going to be?" Foggy asked, noting that there wasn't enough space for an air mattress.

"I've been exiled to the couch," Nate responded. He didn't sound too upset, something Foggy was grateful for.

The two boys stood in silence for a minute until Matt, who'd heard the entire conversation and felt Foggy needed rescuing, called them in.

"I'm done here. Let's go show Foggy the gym." He picked up his cane from its home in the corner next to the door, not waiting for an answer.

Foggy jumped at the suggestion, glad for anything that would help the awkwardness that seemed to hang around him.

* * *

"This is it." Matt stopped in front of a building labeled, "Murdock's Gym."

"Wow." Foggy said, looking around at all the equipment. Suddenly he understood why Matt loved exercising, something that had puzzled him since the first time they'd gone to the school gym. "This place is too cool."

He walked further into the room, marveling at the boxing ring standing proudly in the middle of the room with everything else grouped around it. "Your father owns this?"

Nate smiled. He was starting to warm to his brother's best friend. "Yep."

"Neat. How often do you guys use it?" He knew Matt exercised at least three times a week, but maybe he used to do more.

"I'll say. It's where we fight." Nate responded. Matt turned around suddenly. He hadn't told Foggy that he could fight. "Or I do." Nate added, catching Matt's signal.

"Really? You box?" Matt hadn't really told Foggy much about his brother and now Foggy was curious.

"No. I'm on the school wrestling team." Nate blew up his chest. "I'm one of the best."

Matt swatted him and forgetting for a second that Foggy was watching said, "You still haven't managed to beat me."

Foggy looked at his friend in surprise. "You wrestle?"

Matt hesitated. He thought quickly. "'Course. It was one of the things my rehab instructors suggested I do after the accident. You know, to make the transition away from sports a little less harsh."

Foggy seemed to take the made up story at face value. "Can I see?"

Nate glanced at Matt, unsure of how to respond. But Matt played it cool. "I don't know, you up for it, Natty?"

Nate pretended like he wasn't just as surprised as Foggy. "If you think you remember how it's done."

Matt pulled off his sweater, not bothering to respond.

The brothers faced each other. Matt knew the rules of wrestling: keep physical contact with your opponent at all times, etc. He'd helped Nate practice during his senior year, but that was about it. He hoped he could still remember everything.

They started, Matt's insides grimacing at the brutality of the sport. He found himself longing for the elegance of martial arts. That didn't stop him from holding down his brother, though.

Foggy clapped, the sound echoing loudly against the concrete walls and sending Matt's head spinning. The overflow of information always hurt more after a fight, mostly due to the fact that he relaxed during a fight, allowing his instincts to take over, and therefore slackened his grip on his senses.

Matt helped his brother up. "What did I tell you? You still can't beat the master."

Nate laughed, but a little twang of jealousy hit the bottom of his stomach. He knew he'd never be able to beat his brother, but that was always his goal when he trained. He didn't care about his opponents during a match; he was only ever going up against his brother.

"Come on, dinner should be ready by now." Matt led the way back to the apartment.

* * *

Christmas Eve was a lively affair. Matt's family had warmed to Foggy after the first day and now it was as if he'd always been there.

There was a short lull in the conversation when Maggie said, "So Foggy, what are you going to tell us about Matt's girlfriend?"

Matt choked on his milk. "Mom!"

"What? You haven't told us anything." Maggie shrugged. "So Foggy?"

Foggy blushed. He didn't know what to say. These were the times when he wished he could exchange looks with his best friend. "Umm, I don't know. Matt, sure you don't want to take this?"

Matt stood up, deciding to abandon ship. "You know what, I think I'll go for a walk." His ears were bright red, Foggy noticed as he cleared his plate.

Maggie waited until the door closed behind him before she turned to Foggy. "Okay, spill."

Foggy's blush went deeper. "Ah, right, so her name's Electra Nachios."

"Yeah, that much we got from him," Nate responded.

"Okay, so what do you want from me?"

Jack decided it was time for him to put in his two cents. "Where is she from? How did they meet? Things like that."

"She's from Greece. She's here to study political science. They met on the steps while she was getting a tour of the campus," Foggy said as quickly as possible.

Nate exhaled loudly. "Well, Matt. That was helpful."

"You're welcome, Natty," Foggy tried to imitate Matt's strong voice and failed spectacularly.

"Come on, give us details," Maggie begged.

Foggy sighed. "Alright, alright." He was starting to get into the flow of things. "So we were heading to the library when someone ran into me and I dropped my books.

"Matt was helping me pick them up when the Dean stopped in front of us. He was in the middle of showing Electra and her father the campus and I'm here to tell you that he wasn't happy." Foggy saw Nate's glare and he got back on track.

"Anyway, Matt asked me who she was, and I told him I didn't have a clue. I thought that was it, but the next day he made me distract Electra's bodyguard-"

Here Jack interrupted. "She has a bodyguard?"

"Yeah, her father's the Greek Ambassador."

"Cool!" Nat sounded like a twelve year-old, rather than his seventeen years, but everyone ignored him.

"That's what I thought until I had to distract the big guy. I threw a paper airplane at him and he didn't even flinch! I had to yell to get him to move. But I stayed steady for my buddy." Foggy couldn't help adding.

"When I met Matt back in our room, he said he was going to the game with her." Foggy took a drink of his water for a final flourish.

"That's it?" Nate tried to sound like he didn't really care, but everyone could see he was a softy inside.

Foggy shrugged. "They've been dating for four months."

"I think that's my cue." Matt came back in.

Foggy snapped around, the blush that had almost faded coming back full force. "You've been there the whole time?" he asked, hoping he hadn't.

"I don't recall someone running in to you. And I do seem to remember you running from Ethos," Matt answered, laughing at Foggy's embarrassment. He slapped him lightly on the back. "Don't sweat it."

"Yeah, Matt was too cowardly to say anything." Jack winked at Foggy.


	12. SOS

**A/N: Just to clear things up, this chapter takes place a year after the previous one. Frank Miller established that they'd been dating for a year. And need I thank girlwithoutfear again? Yes. Thanks again. **

Chapter 12: SOS

"It's not your fault, Matt." Foggy was getting tired of trying to get his best friend out of bed and to class. Matt hadn't left their dorm in almost a week. "She just had to go. There was nothing you could have done."

Matt turned over, his blank eyes staring at the wall. "You don't understand," he whispered.

"Fine!" Foggy stomped out of the room, tired of being nice. "I'm going to class!" His roommate didn't move.

Foggy came back two hours later to find Matt still in bed, not even dressed. "You know what? I've had enough. I've done everything I can think of, I'm giving up. You don't want to move, what do I care? You want to lose your scholarship? It's on your head."

Foggy slammed the door, heading out of the building. He was almost to the cafeteria – where he usually went in times of crisis – when he stopped. He sighed. As angry as he was with his best friend, he couldn't let him ruin his own life.

Foggy stopped in front of the payphone outside of the student center and dialed the number of Jack's gym.

"Mr. Murdock? This is Foggy, Matt's roommate?" Foggy hoped Jack remembered him. They hadn't seen each other since the summer. "Well actually, he's why I called... No, he's fine. I was just wondering whether Nate would be up to a visit... I don't know... Yeah, that'll be great. Thanks a lot, Jack."

* * *

Nate dumped his book bag on the floor next to his brother's bed. He'd barely set one foot inside the gym after school before his father told him to go see Matt. He hadn't even had time to eat a snack, hence the apple he was holding.

Nate sat down on the end of Matt's bed and took a huge bite, making sure to chomp as loudly as he could. It worked, sort of.

Matt groaned but he didn't throw the pillow at his brother to make him stop. That wasn't a good sign. Nate realized he'd have to do more.

"Foggy? Mind leaving the slug and me for a while?" Nate asked, walking into the kitchen/living room.

Foggy looked up from the show he hadn't really been watching. "That bad, huh?" Nate nodded and rolled his eyes as Foggy got up and went for a walk.

* * *

"Okay, Foggy's gone. What happened?"

Matt didn't respond, so Nate leaned in close to his ear and took another bite. Matt's hand whipped up and threw the apple across the room.

"So you are alive," Nate commented, fetching the now-bruised apple from the corner. "You know, I'm not leaving until you at least tell me what happened."

Nate stood there, hanging over his older brother for lord knows how long in silence. Finally Matt couldn't take it any longer. He sat up so fast; he nearly hit Nate in the head.

"Wow! Ready to talk?"

Matt nodded and took a deep breath. "Electra left me."

"That's what Foggy said."

"Yeah well, he doesn't know that I was the reason." Matt hesitated. "Her father died and it was all my fault." He went on to tell his brother about the rescue that had ended with Nicholas Nachios getting an army bullet through the back.

At the end, Nate snorted, fed up with Matt's moping. "The world doesn't revolve around you."

"That doesn't mean it wasn't my fault. I should have told him to stay away from the windows…"

"Yeah, and I should have eaten something before I left. The point is, it's done. He died and you saved the girl."

"If I did such a good thing, why did she leave?" Matt sank back into the pillow.

"Ah, so now we get to the heart of the problem. You just feel hurt because she left you. Well you know what? You have two choices." Nate counted them off on his fingers. "One, you can feel sorry for yourself and become a piano-tuner, or two, feel sorry for yourself and show her what you're made of."

Ten minutes later Foggy opened the door of his dorm to see Nate's head in the fridge and hear the shower running.

"What in the world did you say to him?" he asked, dumping a grocery bag on the kitchen table.

"Oh good, food! You know you guys are in college, what ever happened to the junk food?" Nate ran to the bag and torn it open hungrily.

Foggy snorted. "Tell that to Matt. I guess he decided to be responsible now that we're sophomores." He watched Nate latch onto a bottle of coke before he again asked, "So what did you say to your brother?"

Nate took a huge gulp of coke before saying, "I told him that he would be a piano-tuner."

"I don't get it."

Nate shrugged. "Matt hates clichés."


	13. Just A Blind Man

**A/N: Another chapter thanks to girlwithoutfear's editing. She saved me from a (well, another) very embarrassing factual mistake! Thanks! **

Chapter 13: Just A Blind Man

Matt tried to stay awake during his business law class, but Foggy's deep, rhythmic breathing coupled with Professor Fowler's monotone lectures never helped much.

"Well, how much did you get?" Foggy asked as they walked out of the lecture hall.

Matt chuckled slightly, "You'd think that after two and half years of listening to lawyers drone, I'd be more able to sit through them, wouldn't you?"

Foggy yawned. "Yeah. At least criminal law is good."

The two best friends laughed. They'd already decided that once they graduated this year, they would go into practice together as Nelson and Murdock.

They continued to talk about their professors on the subway to their apartment. They'd moved into the small apartment after graduation from Columbia, as it was closer to the law school.

Matt and Foggy were almost home when Matt heard a familiar heart beat, but he didn't let on that he knew someone was sitting on the steps of the building. Foggy was the first to mention it.

"Hey Matt, I think Nate's outside our apartment." Foggy said, not realizing that his best friend already knew.

Nate stood up as the boys came nearer. "Matt, can I talk to you?" Matt could hear the desperation in his brother's voice.

Matt turned to his friend. "You go ahead, Fog. I'll be upstairs in a bit." Foggy nodded and left without question.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked as soon as he was sure his friend was out of earshot and they'd started walking. "Why aren't you at Harvard?" Nate had gotten a wrestling scholarship to NYU and had graduated second in his class. He was working on his medical doctorate now.

"I needed to talk to you."

"What did you need?"

Nate stopped. "I need you to do something for me."

Matt was starting to get a little nervous. "What?"

Nate sat down on a box in an alley. "Last night…" His voice broke off and he started again. "They kidnapped Anna."

A cold hand of fear gripped Matt's insides. Anna was Nate's long-time girlfriend. "Who?"

"Some guys. They caught us from behind, told me to give them my wallet. I tried to fight, but they just knocked me out. I don't remember what happened after that. I still don't know how they did it!" Nate was crying now, Matt could smell the salt.

"Why do you want me?" Matt asked, but he already knew the answer.

"I want you to help me get her back."

Matt stood up. "What about the police? Did you tell them?"

"Matt, these guys knocked me out! What can they do that I can't?"

"And what makes you so sure I'll be able to?"

Nate stood up to look his brother in the eye. "Because you can."

Matt turned his back to his brother. "I can't."

"Why not?" Nate was yelling now, the tears replaced with fury.

"Because!"

"Because of what?"

"Because I'm just a blind guy, remember?" Matt shouted suddenly. He remembered Elektra; the sound of the bullets as they crashed through the window and burrowed their way into her father; the sound of his heart as it stopped beating. "I'm not the guy you think I am!"

"No. You're the guy who can do things I can only dream of." Nate's voice was quiet now. "You are the master."

Matt unfolded his cane. "Not anymore." He started to walk down the alley, not stopping to wait for his brother.

Nate watched his hero as he tapped his cane against the crumbling sidewalk, all the anger and jealousy he'd kept bottled up since Matt's accident all those years ago fighting to the surface. Suddenly, he attacked.

* * *

Matt heard his brother's heart speed up as he prepared to lunge. Without even thinking, he blocked the first jab with his cane, the force sending vibrations down his spine.

Matt hadn't fought in nearly five years. He'd kept in shape, but only really to feel good, not to fight. He hadn't used the skills taught to him by Stick since that night. But in that moment, with the vibration of his brother's blow running up his arm, it all came back. The reason he loved it, the feeling of power, of grace.

Matt felt like no time had passed. He was back in the warehouse, sparring with his little brother while Stick shouted orders at them both. He blocked every attack with ease, marveling at how slow his brother really was. His insides writhed with joy, his muscles screaming in ecstasy.

Too soon, it seemed, Nate was panting on the hard concrete. Matt shook his head, trying to remember what just happened. He couldn't understand how his cane had ended up pressed against his brother's windpipe. He snapped up and dropped the white stick.

Nate stood up slowly, rubbing his throat. "Yeah. Just a blind man."

* * *

"Wow. What the hell happened to you two?" Foggy asked as soon as the two brothers walked in.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nate looks like shit." Foggy responded, looking at Nate's dirty and torn shirt.

"Thanks." Nate gave him a tiny smile. "Where do you lawyers keep the first-aid kit?"

"Here, I'll help you with that." Matt headed to the bathroom. "Go sit in the kitchen, I'll be back in a minute."

Nate sat down while Matt applied Neosporin and bandages to his many scratches, his nose telling him where there were cuts that needed attention.

When he was done, Nate asked, "So are you going to help me?"

Matt put down the kit, and let himself fall into the chair opposite his brother. "I don't know. Remember what happened last time?"

"Last time! The reason you won't help me save the girl I love is because of something that happened almost five years ago!" Nate was furious again.

"No. The reason I am hesitant is because I don't want more blood on my hands. I promised myself I would never let another person die from my mistakes."

"Well you are about to break that promise because if you don't do anything, my Anna will die." The words seemed to come out of Nate's mouth without his permission. He had refused to let them be formed for fear of them coming true, but now that they were out, he was sure of it.

His words cut into Matt like a knife. He stood up. "Fine. But on one condition."

"Anything." Nate was so relieved.

"You stay behind." Matt walked away without his brother's answer.

Nate just sat there in the kitchen. He wanted his girlfriend, that he was sure of, but was he willing to risk losing his big brother for her? No. He wasn't.

Nate found his brother sitting on the couch with Foggy in the living room. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not. You are staying here with Foggy."

Foggy looked up, completely oblivious to the drama playing out in front of him. "What?"

"You are going to watch Nate tonight," Matt explained.

"For God's sake, Matthew, I'm 23 years old! I can take care of myself."

"No. Clearly you can't. I'm going alone or not at all." Matt stood up, his mind made up. "And you know I'll know if you follow me."


	14. Strange Rescue

**A/N: Thanks again, girlwithoutfear!**

Chapter 14: Strange Rescue

Matt felt the paper he'd stolen from Nate's jacket before he'd left. He was sure that the address scrawled on it was the place where Nate thought the kidnappers were. At least he certainly hoped so, if not, it would be kind of hard to explain.

As Matt neared the building, he heard something. Feeling a strong sense of déjà vu, Matt ducked into a notch in a building. Ten seconds later he heard a familiar voice say, "Keep the change."

He counted the footsteps and right before they turned the corner, Matt jumped. "I told you not to follow me." He whispered into his brother's ear.

"You didn't think I was going to let you come alone?" Nate replied, his brother's grip nearly cutting off his oxygen.

"I certainly hoped so."

"Wh-" Nate began, but he didn't finish the sentence. Matt had pinched just the right nerve and his brother was unconscious. He would wake up with a killer headache, but he would be safe.

Matt placed his brother in the alley behind a trashcan. With any luck, he'd be able to reach him before he woke up. In the spur of the moment, Matt also took off his glasses and placed them in his brother's hand.

* * *

Matt heard the sound of four hearts beating from inside the collapsing building. The last one was familiar, Matt recognized Anna's from the last time they'd met at Nate's graduation.

He listened as the first guy spoke, "I think we should ransom her."

"No, don't you watch TV? The police always find the hostage." A second voice said.

"We could always tell them not to call the police." The first one sounded really slow.

"Oh right, Grotto, because they never call the police."

"Shut up, Turk." A third voice joined the couple, this one clearly the leader. "We are going to ransom her."

Matt's heart skipped a beat in anger. He disliked the trio even more with each passing moment. He wanted to start cracking heads together, but Stick's training had taught him nothing if not patience. So he waited in silence for the right opportunity.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, but Matt waited. He listened to the three men argue about what to get on their pizza, cringed as they talked about the next job they were going to pull, and gritted his teeth as they described what they were going to do with the ransom. All the while, Matt planned his attack.

Finally Matt could take their stupidity no longer. It was time for him to put his plan into action. He took a deep breath and folded his cane.

* * *

The three men were going through their captive's things, looking for a good target for ransom, when they heard someone calling, "Can someone help me? Please?"

The boss looked up, a plan forming in his head. "Turk. Go see who it is and then show him inside."

"Right." Turk put on a brave face and walked to the main door. He stuck his head out, "What's wrong?"

A tall man was leaning against the doorframe. "I need…" Suddenly the man collapsed.

"Boss!" Turk screamed, unsure of what to do.

The boss looked down at the man who lay crumpled at Turk's feet, gauging his clothes and washed hair. "Bring him in. He may prove useful."

Turk and Grotto struggled to carry the man inside, finally dumping him in an old office space next to the door. They were about to report back to the boss when the man suddenly woke up. In the pale light, the two men realized his eyes were unfocused.

"Go tell the boss this guy's a cripple." Turk said, smiling menacingly. He leaned in close to Matt. "You aren't going anywhere for a while, cripple."

Matt smiled. He grabbed Turk's head before the idiot had time to move and flipped him on his back. "I wouldn't call me that if I were you."

He knocked Turk into unconsciousness.

He waited in silence as Grotto came back with the boss in tow. "He's," Grotto stopped, starring at the wrong man unconscious on the floor. "I don't get it boss, the man was just here. And he's blind, sir."

"Clearly not, you idiot!" The boss roared. Matt chose that moment to come out of the shadows.

The boss saw him and started firing. Matt dodged out of the way, or at least he tried, but an empty beer bottle held above his head was in the way.

* * *

Matt felt someone shaking him awake. "Matt? Is that you?"

"Anna?" Matt tried to shake the numbness from his mind, but it wasn't working so well.

"Did they get you too?" Anna said. "And I thought they were too stupid…" she rambled

Matt sat up and rubbed the freshly forming knot on the top of his head, the smell of blood filling his nostrils. "No. Nate…"

Anna inhaled sharply. "What happened?"

"He sent me."

"You?" Anna didn't seem to believe it. "But you're…"

"Blind and the better fighter." Matt finished, his head hurt too much to think of a good excuse.

"I don't understand." Anna was more than a little puzzled.

Matt stood up, walking to the door. "I'll explain later. For now, just be quiet." That sounded harsher than he'd meant, but it worked.

Matt felt his watch. He'd been in the area for four hours, unconscious for one. He did a quick calculation and hoped to death that his brother wasn't awake yet.

Matt ran his fingers down the door. Stick had once taught him to feel for weaknesses, something that at the time, Matt had thought completely ridiculous. Now, however, he thanked his luckily stars that Stick had made him learn in it anyway.

"What are you doing?" Anna asked.

"I'm going to get us out of here." Matt listened, and hearing the two conscious men and one unconscious (Matt had to smile. He did know how to take down a bully) across the hall searching for something, he kicked the spot where the door was weakest. It didn't budge.

Suddenly he had another idea. "Anna, what are you wearing in your hair?"

"A ponytail holder. But why?"

"What about your bra?" Matt asked.

Anna sounded shocked. "My God!"

Matt rolled his eyes. "Is it an under wire?"

Anna blushed. "Yes."

"I need the wire." Matt could tell Anna was hesitant. "Trust me, I won't look."

"Turn around." Anna ordered. Obviously she didn't believe him when he'd said he was blind.

Matt faced the door, hardly believing that someone would make him do this. "You do know that it's all black to me, right?"

"Here." Anna shoved the bent wire into his hands and Matt deftly pulled it out of the plastic covering.

"Perfect." He knelt next to the keyhole, his sensitive fingers and acute hearing making the job a walk in the park. In less than thirty seconds, the lock clicked open.

Matt turned to his brother's girlfriend. "Stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Hell I'm staying." Anna started to head to the door, but Matt stopped her.

"My brother made me promise to get you out, and that's what I'm doing. I'll be back." He shut the door in her face, locking it behind him.

* * *

Matt crept silently down the hall, heading to the Boss and Grotto, now immersed in a phone book. He decided the less subtle approach would be best, considering the knock he'd been dealt the last time.

"You know, there are few things I really hate. Top of the list is probably being locked in a cramped room."

The two men spun around. "How did you…?"

"Get out?" Matt walked calmly up to Grotto. "A magician never tells." He heard the boss come up behind him, but this time he was ready. He kicked the man where it hurt the most, while still facing Grotto.

"Next time get yourself an honest job." Matt sent the hulk of a man sprawling. "It pays better in the long run."

Matt knew he was being brutal, but his head really hurt. It took all his will power to simply knock Grotto unconscious and leave it at that.

The boss, however, seemed to be made of tougher stuff. He tried to hit Matt, but the feeble attempts were easily avoided or blocked. Finally he knocked the man out.

Matt turned around, the sound of clapping startling him back to his senses. Anna stood behind him. "I know I locked you in," he said before his radar registered a thin piece of wire in her hand.

"I do have two," she explained.

Matt almost smiled, wondering how in the world he'd missed her picking the lock. "You're pretty fast."

"Large family, one bathroom." Anna put the wire back in her pocket. "You?"

"What?" Matt was busy making sure the men were unconscious.

"Come on, you know what."

"Pass me the rope behind me, will you?" Matt asked, still not really listening.

"See! That! How in the world did you know where the rope was? I can barely see it!"

"I told you, I couldn't see it at all." Matt was avoiding the question now, tying up the three men seemed like a good idea. "Go drag the other guy in, while you're just standing there. He's in the room closest to the door."

A few minutes later, Anna dragged Turk in. "This guy must way a ton!"

Matt got up and helped her. He couldn't help but show off a little, now that she knew his secret anyway. "About 200, actually."

Anna dropped the arm she was tugging. "That's it. I need answers."

"I told you, later."

"Well than at least tell me where Nate is."

Matt blushed slightly. "He's in the alley where I left him."

"You left him in an alley!" Matt was really starting to hate her volume.

"Will you keep it down? He's fine. I only knocked him out."

"And why the hell did you do that?"

"I told him not to follow me."

"So you knocked him out."

"Look, I don't want to have this argument now. I've got a splitting headache and your pitch is killing me." Matt pulled the rope through the last knot. "Let's go."

"What about them?"

"There's nothing much we can do. If I call the police, the most they can charge them with is breaking and entering. The rest is hearsay."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to leave them here to wake up in ropes and be too ashamed to speak."

"Why will they be ashamed?"

Matt smiled broadly. "Because a blind guy beat them fair and square."


	15. Explanations

Chapter 15: Explanations

Nate was still out cold when Anna and Matt found him. Matt put on his glasses.

"I'll carry him. It's not that far," Matt volunteered, hoping his brother hadn't gained much weight in the last few years. He winced as he lifted Nate across his shoulders in a fireman's grip.

"Where are we going?" Anna asked, eyeing her boyfriend and savior tentatively.

Matt stopped for a moment, trying to gather his ground. "My apartment, it's closest."

He walked a few steps, but he didn't get far before he tripped. His radar was weaker than it had been in a long time and everything seemed to be spinning. He needed his cane.

Matt put his brother down. "Wake him up, I can't concentrate well enough to watch my step." He pulled out his cane.

Anna tried unsuccessfully to wake up her boyfriend. "What in the world did you do to him?"

Matt forced his muddled brain to listen to Nate's heart. It was strong, and he sighed with relief. "He's fine, just asleep." Matt walked a few steps before the world spun again. "You know what, why don't you try and get a taxi?"

Anna looked at him, suddenly seeming to see how pale he was. "I'll be right back."

Matt nodded and leaned against the wall, trying without much luck to make the world stay still. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before Anna arrived, directing a very confused taxi driver.

"Come on Matt, the cab's here." She led him awkwardly to the taxi, Matt still woozy from the knock.

"I've got to get Natty," Matt said, trying to turn around and pick up his brother.

"I'll get him, you get in." Anna pushed him into the cab.

"Late party?" The driver asked.

Matt nodded, the movement sending spikes of pain radiating downward.

Nate seemed to be reviving slightly; he at least managed to help Anna carry him into the car. Finally she dumped him in the seat, and told the driver Matt's address.

"You guys okay back there?" The cabby sounded concerned.

"They're both fine. Had a little too much to drink, that's all," Anna answered before Matt could open his mouth.

"Here you are." The cabby pulled up in front of the building. Anna paid him quickly with the money she'd found in Nate's pocket. "Sure you don't want some help getting upstairs?"

"No, we're fine," Anna replied, trying to get the guy to go as soon as possible.

Matt found it difficult to open the door. His radar was completely gone now and everything seemed far away. Before he could put the key in the door, he fainted.

* * *

"You owe me the biggest explanation in the history of the world."

Matt woke up to Foggy standing over him, the distinct smell of a hospital in his nose. "How did I get here?"

"That's what I want to know. Anna rings the bell at three o'clock in the morning and tells me to get downstairs as fast as I can. I open the door to find both Murdock boys out cold, and one of them bleeding buckets of blood from his head!"

"Stop yelling," Matt whimpered. His head felt larger than a bobble head's.

"Are you going to tell me then?"

Matt felt his head. It was wrapped in bandages. "How long have I been out?"

Foggy thought for a moment. "About 12 hours. The doctors said you lost a lot of blood and had a nice concussion, but they only need to keep you here for a night."

Matt sighed. "Did you already call my parents?"

"Yeah. But don't worry. Nate calmed them down. They should be here later."

"So Nate's okay?"

Foggy sounded surprised. "Yeah, fine. Now are you going to tell me what happened?"

Matt was still stalling for time when his brother and Anna walked in. "Are you feeling alright, Matt?"

There was something different about the way Nate asked him the question. He sounded guilty, like he'd just been caught tattle telling. Matt had a sneaky suspicion he knew the reason.

"Natty, what did you say?"

Nate's ears turned red, and Foggy looked between the two Murdocks. "What does he mean, Nate?"

Matt nodded his consent to Nate's unspoken question, deciding that Foggy had proved his worth. "Just tell him away from prying ears, like in our apartment." He didn't bother being subtle about kicking them out.

His guests left the room, Foggy practically foaming at the mouth. Matt fell asleep almost at once, despite the throbbing pain.

* * *

Nate shook Matt awake. "What in the world!" Matt yelled, shocked at being awoken so suddenly.

"Sorry," Foggy whispered.

Matt smiled. "You know I can filter noise. You don't have to talk so softly," he paused for a second, reconsidering, "actually, please do. It's a nice change after these two shrieking banshees."

Nate slapped his brother playfully.

"Hey! Watch it, guy with a concussion." Matt reminded, though his head did seem to have shrunk. "Now why did you wake me up so rudely?"

Anna spoke for the first time. "We just wanted to tell you that we've decided on a name."

"I already have a name. Matthew Murdock." He stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Everyone laughed. "No, we decided from now on, you're the superhero, Daredevil."

"Daredevil?" Something sparked in the back of Matt's mind, but he couldn't place it. "Why?"

Nate smiled. "Because you are either really stupid or accepting a dare –"

"-And I've got a mean right hook," Matt finished, the memory glowing brightly in his mind.

**A/N: This is it, the last chapter. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much I enjoyed writing it. Oh and, please notice that I deleted the prologue in the first chapter. Final thanks to girlwithoutfear, both for edits and making a good argument. **


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